Effort grows to put down pit bulls who attacked boy

Two pit bulls are in quarantine because they mauled a little boy this summer. Now there is a growing effort to get those dogs put down.

The Antioch Animal Control officer's report was just released and it describes the bloody stairwell where 10-year-old Hunter Kilbourn was attacked by his neighbor's two pit bulls on Aug. 11. His face was mauled and part of his ear chewed off.

ABC7 News learned the dog owners' son was also bitten on the arm while trying to stop the attack.

The report says both dogs had expired rabies vaccinations and the animal control investigator has now deemed them to be "vicious" and is recommending they be euthanized. But the owners, Rodrick and Courtney De La Cruz, told the city they would do anything they needed to do to fight for their dogs. They would not answer our attempt to contact them.

"These people are making a desperate attempt to save their dogs at the expense of the health and safety of the neighborhood and my client," said Bill Johnson, Kilbourn's attorney.

Some neighbors are passing out flyers asking others to speak out at a hearing against the attempt to save the dogs and bring them home.

"My concern is if the dogs are not contained, they'll get out and somebody else is going to get hurt," said neighbor Judy Robert.

Roberts says she'll be at the city hall hearing to explain why she shot video of the escaped dogs in front of the De La Cruz home. It happened several months before Kilbourn was attacked.

"I thought of what may have happened to me had I been running past at that time, and it's not the first incident the dogs have gotten out," said Roberts.

The report says there were two sets of bite marks on Kilbourn but the De La Cruzs still insist only one pit bull attacked the boy.